Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Comparison table:

CEFRL Level Guided learning time (hours) Hours per week Level Cambridge ESOL IELTS GESE TOEFL TOEIC  
1 year 2 years
                   
C2 1000 - 1200 40hrs 20hrs Proficiency CPE 8.0 12      
            11      
C1 700 - 800 27hrs 13hrs Advanced CAE 7.0 10 110 - 120 945 - 990* * 490 - 495 points (listening)
455 - 495 points (reading)
            9      
            8      
B2 500 - 600 20hrs 10hrs Upper-Intermediate FCE 6.0 7 87 - 109 785 - 990  
                   
B1 350 - 400 13hrs 6hrs Intermediate PET 5.0 6 57 - 86 550 - 780  
            5      
A2 180 - 200 7hrs 4hrs Pre-Intermediate KET 4.0 4   225 - 545  
            3      
A1 90 - 100 4hrs - Elementary     2   120 - 220  
            1      

Please note: Guided learning time is the estimated time to progress in proficiency from one level to the next, e.g. from A2 to B1 takes 350 - 400 guided learning hours.

Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages):

  • CPE = Certificate of Proficiency in English
  • CAE = Certificate in Advanced English
  • FCE = First Certificate in English
  • PET = Preliminary English Test
  • KET = Key English Test

IELTS = International English Language Testing System

GESE = (Trinity College London) Graded Examinations in Spoken English

TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language

TOEIC = Test of English for International Communication
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CEFRL Table by Matt Bury is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.